LONDON: Inmarsat, the satellite operator, has been forced to delay the launch schedule for its Russian satellite following another rocket failure over the weekend.
The group said that its launch partner ILS, had suffered a “a disabling anomaly” on a Proton Breeze rocket it had launched for the Mexican government around eight minutes after lift-off in Kazakhstan. This resulted in the loss of both the satellite and the rocket.
This latest incident follows Inmarsat two earlier failed attempts and as a result all future Proton Breeze launches have been suspended pending an investigation. T
Rupert Pearce, the chief executive of Inmarsat, said: “This incident involving a failed Proton launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is extremely unfortunate and will inevitably delay our launch plans for our third Global Xpress satellite.”
The incident forced the group to trim its financial outlook. Inmarsat said that it would have a small negative effect on this year’s revenues and earnings. The company also suspended its guidance of an 8pc to 12pc compound annual growth rate for 2014 to 2016.
The communications group had hoped to provide a global broadband network, called Global Xpress or GX for short, to allow ships and individuals in remote areas access the internet using three satellites.
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